Author Archives: Z Ravas

It’s ‘High Kick Girl’ vs. ‘Dead Sushi’ in new Japanese splatterflick

I love sushi. Chances are, you do too. But how does our sushi feel about us? If the new film from director Noboru Iguchi (The Machine Girl, Robogeisha) is any indication, they’re pissed off and tired of being eaten. Yes, the premise of Iguchi’s new ultra low-budget splatterflick Dead Sushi appears to be that the sushi of Japan has become sentient – and now they’re out for revenge. Fortunately, on … Continue reading

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Asian horror fans, get ready to experience ‘Any Other Side’ on Import DVD

Mainland China has seen a sudden surge of gruesome horror movies within the last year or so, a renaissance of new fright flicks with high production values and attractive casts. 2012’s Any Other Side continues this trend with an anthology-style film about five friends who meet at a bar on Halloween and decide to see who can tell the most terrifying story. Right now you can snag Any Other Side … Continue reading

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Lost Bladesman, The (2011) Review

The Lost Bladesman | DVD (Anchor Bay)

Director: Felix Chong Co-director: Alan Mak Cast: Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Chin Siu Ho, Andy On Chi Kit, Betty Sun Li, Dong Yong, Alex Fong Chung Sun, Calvin Li Zong Han, Shao Bing, Wang Bo Chieh, Nie Yuan Running Time: 107 min. By HKFanatic Hong Kong’s biggest superstar Donnie Yen teams up with the filmmaking duo behind the “Infernal Affairs” sequels, Felix Chong and Alan Mak, for this Three Kingdoms-era … Continue reading

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In ‘Hindsight,’ CJ Entertainment has ‘No Mercy’ for American audiences

Over at Beyond Hollywood, Todd Rigney reports that CJ Entertainment America, the US branch of Korea’s biggest movie studio, is planning to release a couple of its films in North America. No Mercy and Hindsight will both hit DVD in North America on July 31st, 2012. A Blu-ray release for both titles is expected to follow shortly thereafter. Traditionally, Asian movie studios have licensed out their films to American distributors. … Continue reading

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Blu-ray and DVD Releases for 6/5/2012

June is upon us. There’s not much happening this month in regards to Asian cinema but at least the one film being released is a good one. Meanwhile, Universal continues to shuffle out their back catalog via Blu-ray+DVD+digital combo packs. Here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 6/5/12: ASIAN CINEMA 13 Assassins (The Thirteen Assassins) (DVD) – the great folks from AnimEigo offer this 1963 samurai … Continue reading

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Farewell to the ‘Emperor’s Concubine’

Online now is the teaser trailer for a steamy new Korean period piece titled The Emperor’s Concubine. The film arrives from director Kim Dae-seung (Blood Rain) and tells the story of what happens when King Sungwon’s concubine becomes embroiled in a love affair with another man. This all takes place during the Chosun Era, which would be helpful except that Wikipedia tells me that this period of Korean history lasted over 500 … Continue reading

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The distributors behind ‘The Viral Factor’ to release more Asian films in North America

Last year, Chinese film distributor China Lion made great strides in releasing more Chinese-language films in North America by partnering with AMC theaters. Chinese Films reports that the company has acquired 5 films at the Cannes Film Festival with the express purpose of screening them in American theaters. Granted, the hardest part of putting out foreign films in the West is securing enough screens to reach an audience – I’m … Continue reading

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Shinya Tsukamoto returns to scar your soul with ‘Kotoko’

At this point in his career, it’s fair to say that writer/director/actor Shinya Tsukamoto can rightfully be called a genius. The man behind such modern classics as  Tokyo Fist and A Snake of June has made an indelible mark on the genre known as “extreme Asian cinema.” Back in 1989, his 67 minute film Tetsuo: The Iron Man proved to be a landmark cyber-punk film that would go on to … Continue reading

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Japanese schoolgirls under supernatural duress in ‘Kotsutsubo’

Over at Beyond Hollywood, you can scope out the first batch of spooky images from the new Japanese horror film, Kotsutsubo. The plot follows a high school girl trying to save her friend from a cursed urn, and is adapted from a popular short story by author Yamada Yuusuke. The cast includes Matsubara Natsumi, Yokoyama Rurka, Miyazaki Rina, Itogi Kenta, Kanayama Kazuhiko, and Shinozaki Ai. Kotsutsubo opens in Japanase theaters on … Continue reading

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Blu-ray and DVD Releases for 5/29/12

A sparse selection for Asian cinema this week but you can’t really say it’s a bad time when we’ve got a Johnnie To film on deck. And if you’re into French erotic vampire films from the 70’s, you’re gonna love the Horror section. Here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 5/29/12: ASIAN CINEMA Life Without Principle (DVD) – Johnnie To directs this 2011 thriller about the … Continue reading

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Helpless (2011) Review

Director: Byun Young-Joo Cast: Lee Seon-Gyun, Kim Min-Hee, Jo Seong-Ha, Kim Byul, Choi Deok-Mun, Lee Hee-Jun, Kim Min-Jae, Kim Tae-In, Choi Il-Hwa, Bae Min-Hee, Park Sang-Woo Running Time: 117 min. By HKFanatic “Helpless” is the latest in a string of recent Korean films based on Japanese novels (see also: “Howling,” “White Night”). The source material here is a book by Miyabe Miyuki, who is known in Japan as the Queen … Continue reading

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Johnnie To never produces a good movie on ‘Accident’ – new trailer

Your friends at Shout! Factory are prepping to release the Johnnie To-produced Hong Kong thriller Accident on Blu-ray and DVD this June 12, 2012. In the meantime, they’ve released a new trailer for the movie. In Accident, Louis Koo digs deep to offer one of the most compelling performances of his career as an assassin who choreographs elaborate ‘accidents’ to off his assignments. After one of his plans goes horribly … Continue reading

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You’ll want to meet ‘Miss Conspirator’ – new character posters and trailer

The first trailer for Korean film Miss Conspirator has hit the web and if the film ends up halfway as entertaining as the trailer, then we’re in for something good. It’s difficult to nail down just what genre Miss Conspirator belongs to as the trailer promises a blend of suspense, comedy, romance, and action, but that will probably end up being part of the charm of this film. The cast … Continue reading

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Jackie Chan in hi-def in the ‘Project A Series’ Blu-ray Box Set

The Project A series remains one of Jackie Chan’s most beloved cinematic ventures, due in large part to the 1984 original that managed to perfect Chan’s Buster Keaton-esque physical comedy and play off of the chemistry of the Three Brothers – Jackie, Sammo Hung, and Yuen Biao. Jackie went solo for 1987’s Project A 2 but it still contains several memorable fight scenes and set pieces. Fans eager to see … Continue reading

Posted in Asian Import Titles, News |

‘Suicide Club’ director Sion Sono’s ‘Guilty of Romance’ comes to Import Blu-ray and DVD

From Sion Sono, the acclaimed director of Suicide Club and Love Exposure, comes a terrifying new vision of sexual depravity and murder. The Red Light District of Shibuya, Japan, is infamous for offering patrons a window into an underworld of desire. But when a woman is savagely murdered, her head and limbs replaced with a mannequin’s, it’s up to detective Kazuko (Miki Mizumo) to piece together the clues before the … Continue reading

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